Lent part deux

As we fight the flu in this house (luckily, only one affected), combat some major teeth grinding (thanks to my awesome dentist, this is happily ebbing away) and below-freezing temps (Puxtawany Phil and I are no longer on speaking terms) leaves me scrambling for free time.  Yet, I manage to sit up restless, pondering life simply because I have issues with sleep, namely that I am constantly in need while it evades me at critical moments.

Which brings me to my latest cycle:  If we can 'give up' something for a period of 40+ days, why does that, which has become a habitual practice for 6 weeks, become something we are so eager to shed at the end of that time?  I caught myself thinking, just yesterday (a whopping 2 days into Lent) oooh, I can't wait until I can have xxxxxx.....huh?  Why am I so quick to skip past what I've deemed necessary to give up for my Lord and hurry to when it will be over?  It's like a diet that will never show lasting fruits because I can't wait for it to be over so old eating habits can resume.

If my Lenten practices, which consist of less of some things and more of prayer, can be achieved in 40 days, I can be closer to God and have a deeper relationship with Him, then why isn't my goal to keep it up?  Why am I looking forward to the end right at the beginning?  It doesn't seem much of a sacrifice or deep change if I look at it through that lens.

I am prayerfully working on that thought.  Hopefully it will serve to work on my heart of stone into a true heart of God so that, as today's Little Black Book's reading suggests:  my focus will be on Eternity. 

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